


Blood Moon

by unsungpoet



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, F/F, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abduction, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Stalking, Implied/Referenced Torture, Murder, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Trauma, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25255279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsungpoet/pseuds/unsungpoet
Summary: A twist of fate on the night of the Blood Moon leads them to each other—and flips both their worlds upside down.
Relationships: Hwang Miyoung | Tiffany/Lee Siyeon, Kim Bora | SuA/Kim Minji | JiU, Kim Yoohyeon/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 11
Kudos: 51
Collections: DreamCatcher Vampire Ficfest 2k20





	1. The Force of the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> **Note:** the Blood Moon is often associated with a set of special lunar eclipses, but in this case the Blood Moon is equivalent to the Hunter's Moon—the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon (which is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox). In the northern hemisphere, the Blood Moon/Hunter's Moon typically occurs in the month of October.

“Siyeon, are you out of your fucking mind?” Yubin demanded, following after the blonde. Siyeon merely rolled her eyes as she made her way towards the front door.

“I’m hungry,” she stated, as if that justified everything. 

“There’s plenty to eat in the fridge. You know you can’t go out tonight, Minji’s orders,” Yubin insisted, reaching for Siyeon’s arm. Siyeon shook her off, shooting her an annoyed look.

“Minji can bite me,” Siyeon spat, pulling her leather jacket on. Yubin gave her a serious look, crossing her arms over her chest.

“She’ll do worse than that if you go out against her orders tonight. Have you forgotten that tonight is the Blood Moon?” At the word “blood”, Siyeon’s stomach rumbled and she had to bite back a hiss, her fangs jutting out involuntarily. She played it off in the form of a mischievous smirk, her irises darkening to a rich crimson.

“Do you know what else the Blood Moon is called? The _Hunter’s_ Moon. Well, I’m a hunter and I’m gonna enjoy this special full moon to the max. No one's gonna stop me, not Minji's orders and certainly not you.”

“Siyeon, if you end up siring someone tonight—”

“I’m going out for a meal, not a fledgling, Yubin.”

“You say that now, but you don’t know the power of the Blood Moon. If you stumble upon the wrong human—”

“I’ll snap their neck, problem solved.” Siyeon shrugged and gave Yubin a wicked smile, flashing her incisors. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some walking blood bags to drain.”

Before Yubin could get out another word of protest, Siyeon slipped out the front door and into the cursed night.

***

It was the shouting that led her to that otherwise silent side street. It was the last bit of her humanity, her compassion mixed with blood-lust, that forced her to kill the assailants. It was her curiosity that kept her rooted in place as she stared at the victim, when she should be miles away by now.

At least, that’s what Siyeon kept telling herself as she stood there, three lifeless bodies at her feet, her crimson eyes trained on the stunned brunette in front of her.

“You… You killed them,” the girl said, the first words she had spoken since Siyeon’s appearance.

“Would you have preferred I let them take you?” Siyeon retorted.

“N-No, of course not but… you didn’t have to _kill_ them.” The word “kill” sounded choked and forced, as if it hurt for her to say.

“Please,” Siyeon scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “You should just be glad that _you’re_ alive, with all your blood still in your body.”

She was being careless and she knew it. But for whatever reason, she couldn’t be bothered to play pretend and deny her existence. Her fangs were on full display, her eyes refusing to revert back to brown. She was positive that she looked like a rabid, hungry animal because that was exactly how she felt. She was itching for a taste, her eyes repetitively flicking to the pulse at the base of the girl’s throat, but a very strong force within her that she couldn’t quite name kept her hunger at bay.

Despite all of this, the girl seemed far more concerned about the three dead men at Siyeon’s feet than the fact that her life was in more danger now than when they had been alive.

“How am I supposed to explain this to the police? Or anyone really?” the girl demanded, a shiver shooting down her spine as she looked at the bodies. Siyeon merely shrugged.

“You don’t. You go back home and pretend none of this ever happened. Someone else will find the bodies… or whatever is left of them anyway.” Siyeon flashed a chilling smile, even though her stomach flipped at the mere thought of sinking her teeth into these disgusting excuses for human beings.

This was the part where the girl should have screamed and ran. This was the part where the terror of the situation should have hit her and the blood should have drained from her face. This was the part where there should have been fear in her eyes and a tremor in her body. But instead the girl was looking at Siyeon with… curiosity.

“Are you really a vampire?” the girl finally asked after a beat of silence. There was a quiver in her voice, but just barely.

“Do you not care for your life?” Siyeon countered. She took a step forward and the girl stiffened but otherwise didn’t move. Siyeon arched a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you not afraid to be bitten?”

“Maybe I want you to bite me.” A sharp, humorless chuckle left Siyeon’s lips at the girl’s revelation.

“Are you stupid or something? I hate to break it to you but this isn’t an opportunity to live out your favorite Twilight fanfiction. Nothing pleasant will come out of me biting you, unless you have a death wish.”

“If you wanted to flat out kill me, I’d already be dead. Isn’t that right?” Her eyes searched Siyeon’s and she seemed to find the answer she wanted there because her lips quirked up ever so slightly.

“What is it exactly that you want, silly girl?”

“Yoohyeon. My name is Yoohyeon, not ‘silly girl’.”

“Didn’t ask, don’t care. You’re just a stupid human to me.”

“Yet you saved my life.” To this, Siyeon had no snarky reply because she was having trouble explaining it even to herself. She was tempted to just walk away and forget this night had happened at all, but Yoohyeon’s next words stopped her dead in her tracks. “Take me with you.”

It was as if Yoohyeon had read Siyeon’s mind, as if she could sense that Siyeon was moments away from bolting. And instead of wanting to be free of the blood-sucking monster, Yoohyeon wanted… to go with her?

“When I said I’d kill you, this is not what I meant,” was the first reply that managed to make its way past Siyeon’s lips. Yoohyeon’s response was a laugh, she actually _laughed_.

“You must have wanted something from me. I really don’t think you saved me out of the goodness of your heart.” Yoohyeon paused, her nose scrunching thoughtfully. “Vampires still have hearts, right?”

“I’m not even going to answer and _you_ are not going to be finding out any time soon. I’m not taking you with me and I’m not Turning you, so just run along and live out the rest of your worthless life as if this night never happened.” Instead of turning on her heel and leaving like she should have, Yoohyeon moved forward, now dangerously close to Siyeon.

“I’m not leaving unless it’s with you.” In another context, it would have sounded hot, romantic even. But in the current context, it made Siyeon grit her teeth in annoyance.

“Do you even comprehend what you’re asking of me? That’s a stupid question, of course you don’t,” Siyeon snarled. “If I turn you, you become my responsibility, you _belong to me_. Do you understand that? You will be mine to train, mine to groom to be the kind of vampire I want you to be.”

“That doesn’t sound all that bad,” Yoohyeon said with a smile, taking another step forward. Siyeon could not believe what she was hearing, what she was seeing. Was Yoohyeon trying to… _seduce_ her? There was definitely a sultry undertone in her voice, but perhaps Siyeon was imagining it. Yoohyeon was close enough now that her scent was invading Siyeon’s senses too much to be ignored, and it had an intoxicating effect.

“You really have a death wish, don’t you?” Siyeon managed to say and Yoohyeon merely shrugged. Siyeon’s head was spinning in a way that she couldn’t understand. She had just fed so why was she suddenly _so hungry_. She could practically feel the blood drumming in Yoohyeon’s veins and it made her mouth water.

“You’re staring at me so intensely that it’s almost like you’re trying to undress me with your eyes,” Yoohyeon giggled. Siyeon didn’t laugh, couldn’t laugh. Her eyes met Yoohyeon’s.

“You do know you have to drink my blood, right?” The words tumbled out of Siyeon’s mouth before she could think to stop them. If she had been smart, she would have let Yoohyeon believe she was being turned and then just drained her enough to knock her unconscious instead of actually turning her. But Siyeon had never been the brightest.

“Doesn’t the blood drinking begin _after_ becoming a vampire?” Yoohyeon asked, her face contorting in disdain. Siyeon shook her head.

“Biting you won’t do anything to you. Unless I suck you dry, in which case you’d die and _not_ come back. Drinking vampire blood is what turns you. Once you drink enough, your heart will stop.” She had no idea why she was divulging all this information, or why she was even still talking to Yoohyeon and entertaining the idea of turning her, but her body wasn’t responding to her mind’s desperate pleas to just go back home.

“Doesn’t that sound lovely,” Yoohyeon muttered, sounding the slightest bit deterred for once. But then she steeled her expression and reached for Siyeon’s hand. Siyeon flinched away as if she’d been shocked but Yoohyeon was persistent, grabbing Siyeon’s arm and forcing her own wrist against her mouth.

“What the hell are you doing?” Siyeon demanded. She wanted to pull away but her body felt like jelly now and she thought she might suddenly melt if Yoohyeon released her.

“I need to drink your blood, right? You can tear your own skin much easier than I could so please, help me out here.” How could Yoohyeon say that so conversationally, as if it was normal? And why did Siyeon feel so inclined to do as she said? Taking Siyeon’s lack of response as hesitation, Yoohyeon held out her own wrist. “You can bite mine too and drink my blood while I drink yours if that makes you feel better.”

Somehow, that seemed to be the key to garnering a response from Siyeon. Her hesitation dissolved in an instant and she didn’t stop to think before biting into her wrist. She practically shoved her bloody wrist into Yoohyeon’s mouth before hungrily sinking her teeth into Yoohyeon’s wrist. She lost all concept of time and reality as she fervently drank Yoohyeon’s blood. She could hear the brunette’s heart pumping, could hear it gradually begin to slow. Even so, Siyeon couldn’t force herself to stop or slow down, as much as her brain was screaming at her to do so. She likely would have drained Yoohyeon completely if not for the fact that the girl collapsed.

Yoohyeon crumbled to the floor, the weight of her limp body tearing her arm from Siyeon’s grasp. Without the blood pouring into her mouth, Siyeon finally returned to her senses—and she really wished she hadn’t. Yoohyeon’s mouth was stained red, dark red blood dripping from the corners and down her chin. Thankfully, her eyes were closed, but Siyeon knew that if they had been open they would be blank and unseeing. She knew because she could hear the empty silence that Yoohyeon’s heartbeat should have filled. Yoohyeon was dead and she had drunk Siyeon’s blood, and that meant she would wake up a vampire. Siyeon realized with horror that she had done exactly what she had told Yubin she wouldn’t.

Minji was going to kill her.

***

Siyeon arrived home to silence and darkness, a limp Yoohyeon in her arms. For some reason, the quiet unsettled Siyeon more than if she had been yelled at immediately upon entering. She was on high alert, straining her ears to try and pick up any trace of the other girls and where in the house they might be, but she heard nothing.

“They’re in the basement,” a voice suddenly spoke, nearly making Siyeon jump out of her skin. She spun around to face Minji and knew that if her heart had still been beating, it would have stopped under Minji’s red-eyed glare.

“M-Minji, I—” Siyeon started, only to be cut off.

“You blatantly disobeyed my orders and put the clan as a whole in danger? Yes, I’m aware,” Minji said. Her voice was deadly calm but her stiff posture and blazing eyes spoke volumes about how upset she was. For the first time, her eyes landed on Yoohyeon—Siyeon had forgotten about her momentarily—and an unidentifiable expression crossed Minji’s face. “She’s yours, isn’t she?”

“I-I can explain! I didn’t—”

“You didn’t mean to. I know.” All of a sudden, Minji looked nothing more than extremely tired, as if the centuries she’d lived were finally catching up to her. Siyeon was rendered speechless by the abrupt shift and she stared at Minji with her mouth agape. Minji seemed not to notice Siyeon’s shock, or she just blatantly ignored it. “Take her up to your room. I’ll ask Binnie to come up with me to make sure everything is in order for her waking.”

Siyeon nodded wordlessly, waiting until Minji left for the basement before carrying Yoohyeon up the stairs to her bedroom. Usually, Siyeon didn’t feel temperature very much, but an odd chill settled over her as she stepped into her bedroom. It felt weird, almost eerie, to enter her room with a dead girl in her arms.

_Not dead_ , she reminded herself, _she’s Turning_. Not that that was much better. Siyeon’s mouth tasted metallic as she carefully set Yoohyeon down on the bed, and it wasn’t the delicious taste of blood either. It was bitter and off-putting, what she imagined it would taste like if she kept an old penny in her mouth for too long. When she looked down at Yoohyeon, her stomach flipped uncomfortably and she realized with a start what that cold feeling and metallic taste was—guilt. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt guilty for anything. So lost in thought was she that she didn’t notice she wasn’t alone with Yoohyeon until a hand came down on her shoulder gently, causing her to jump in surprise and jerk away.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Minji said, sounding more concerned than apologetic. The short-haired brunette beside her, Binnie, looked equally concerned, though she was focused on Yoohyeon rather than Siyeon.

“Did you really Turn her?” Binnie asked, still not looking at Siyeon. She reached out to touch Yoohyeon’s wrist, presumably to check her pulse, but Siyeon lurched forward before she could. Faster than the blink of an eye, Siyeon stepped between Binnie and the bed, grabbing the girl’s wrist in a deadly vice.

“ _Don’t touch her_ ,” Siyeon hissed. Her fangs had slipped out of their sheaths and her lips were curled back in a snarl, her eyes blazing crimson. Binnie looked surprised but otherwise kept her calm.

“Siyeon, you’re hurting me,” she said in an even voice. Almost immediately, the red faded from Siyeon’s irises, her fangs retracting. She stumbled back a step, snatching her hand back as if Binnie’s skin suddenly burned. There was a thick band of red where Siyeon’s hand had been. If Binnie had been human, it definitely would have bruised but, as it was, the redness was already beginning to fade.

“I-I’m sorry,” Siyeon stammered, appalled at her own behavior. “I don’t know what came over me—”

“No, but I do,” Minji cut in. Siyeon’s eyes swung to her, confusion swimming amongst a million other emotions in those chocolate orbs. “Come with me. Let’s talk.”

“It’s okay,” Binnie spoke up when Siyeon hesitated. She offered Siyeon a reassuring smile. “I know it’s hard to leave her here, but I’ll look after her in your absence.”

Siyeon knew she was being irrational in her fear of leaving Yoohyeon alone with Binnie. After all, she had no idea what to do with someone who was Turning, whereas Binnie was the clan medic and an expert in Turning. But Siyeon couldn’t help the feeling that she wasn’t supposed to leave Yoohyeon’s side.

“Siyeon.” Minji took hold of her arm with a surprising amount of gentleness. “I know it’s difficult, but it’ll make more sense once I explain it all to you.”

Siyeon chewed her lip nervously, fighting the urge to growl at Minji and Binnie to leave immediately. She swallowed her trepidation and nodded, allowing Minji to lead her out of her own room.

***

“It was an accident,” Siyeon said in a small voice. She and Minji were in the library now, seated together on the couch nearest the fireplace. Usually, the fire would be lit at this time of year but it was just a pile of charred wood and ash at the moment, causing Siyeon to feel cold despite the fact that she didn’t need the fire’s warmth. She had just told Minji about what had happened with Yoohyeon and why she had Turned the girl. The details, however, were fuzzy and Siyeon found that recounting the tale made her feel worse about it all than she already felt. Lamely, she repeated, “It was an accident.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Minji replied, an edge to her voice. Siyeon looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise.

“W-What?”

“It wasn’t an accident, Siyeon.”

“You… You think I did it on _purpose_? Minji, I swear I didn’t. I would never—”

“I never said you did it on purpose.” Minji’s voice was much softer now. She placed a hand lightly on Siyeon’s arm, a reassuring smile on her lips. “I know you’re impulsive, but you’re not that careless. It wasn’t your intention to Turn her, but it wasn’t an accident. It was the moon.”

“The moon?” Siyeon didn’t even attempt to conceal the confusion in her voice and her expression. Minji nodded.

“There was a reason I didn’t want anyone to go out tonight. The moon’s power is nearly impossible to resist.”

“What do you mean? What power?”

“The Blood Moon has magical properties and a mysterious effect on vampires. We still don’t really understand it, but it seems that there are tethers between certain individuals—like the threads of fate, a sort of soulmate connection I suppose. Some people have multiple connections, some seem to have none. Links between humans are harmless—they usually don’t know it even exists. But things get complicated once one end of the link involves a vampire.

“Normally, we can control ourselves and no matter how much of a pull we may feel towards a person, we can decide for ourselves whether or not to Turn them. But the Blood Moon seems to amplify this connection to a point where our judgement becomes clouded and the primal desire to immortalize what we deem to belong to us takes over. If a vampire runs into a human that so happens to be a match for them on the night of the Blood Moon, the most likely situation is that they’ll Turn that human, even if it wasn’t their intent. That’s why I didn’t want anyone going out tonight, especially you.”

“Why me in particular?” Siyeon asked, despite the small voice in the back of her head telling her that she probably didn’t want to know.

“Because vampires sired on the night of a Blood Moon are more likely to succumb to its pull,” Minji replied slowly, hesitantly.

“I wasn’t sired on the night of a Blood Moon though.” Siyeon chuckled nervously, thinking that Minji must have gotten mixed up.

“Yes, Siyeon. You were.” The hesitation in Minji’s voice and the guilty expression on her face made Siyeon’s stomach twist uncomfortably. “I never told you the truth about your sire, but I think it’s time you know.”


	2. The Sire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siyeon finally learns the truth about her Turning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of stalking, abduction, torture, death, and blood

“You told me my sire is dead,” Siyeon said in a shaky voice. She had never known her sire, or at least not enough to remember them. There was a large portion of memory surrounding the events of her Turning that was incredibly fuzzy to Siyeon, and time had never cleared it up. Everything she knew about her own origins had been relayed to her by Minji, who had been the one to take her in and teach her how to be a vampire.

“Your sire  _ is _ dead. That much is true,” Minji replied slowly. She seemed to be considering her words very carefully. “Do you remember what I told you about what happened after you Turned?”

“Yes… You told me that I couldn’t remember Turning because my sire abandoned me afterwards and I got lost in a bloodlust haze since there was no one there to help me control myself.” There was a bitter note in Siyeon’s voice now. She had always resented her sire for leaving her to fend for herself. Even though she couldn’t remember it, she hated the thought of being out of control, especially due to someone else’s carelessness.

“It’s true that after your Turning, once you realized what you were, you were out for blood. But it’s not the kind of bloodlust I always led you to believe it was. Sure, there were a few casualties here and there, you had to feed after all. But there was no massacre of innocent humans or anything like that.”

“What do you mean? If I wasn’t on a killing spree, then why can’t I remember anything?”

“You were blinded by rage. You wanted revenge.”

“ _ Revenge _ ?! On who? My sire?” Minji nodded slowly, looking over Siyeon’s face cautiously as if she expected the revelation to cause memories to come flooding back. No such thing happened, of course, and Siyeon was left more confused than before. She could understand being upset at her sire for Turning her, but she couldn’t picture herself hating someone so much that she would want to kill them. She gave Minji a questioning look, dread settling in the pit of her stomach. “Why did I want revenge on someone I barely knew?”

“Because I lied to you, Siyeon. You did know your sire, and you had known her for quite a while before you were Turned, from what I know.” There was a pained expression on Minji’s face, as if telling this to Siyeon physically hurt her. Siyeon wondered for a moment why Minji was struggling so much to be honest, but her next words made Siyeon instantly understand what was so difficult about it. “You were her subjugate.”

Siyeon felt an icy cold trickle down her spine and she suppressed a shiver. In the relatively short amount of time that she had been a vampire, Siyeon had only heard about subjugates a handful of times. They were basically humans kept as pets by vampires, personal blood supplies for the vampire that owned them. Siyeon didn’t know much more than that, just that the vampire Council had outlawed them just shy of a century prior.

“I… I don’t understand.” Siyeon’s head was reeling and nothing was making sense. She wished Minji would just be outright and explain everything to her in one go instead of telling her in bits. “I thought having subjugates was forbidden before I was Turned, how could I have been one?”

“Just because the rules exist doesn’t mean that everyone will follow them, especially when the rule was so controversial to begin with. Vampires like her are the reason the Council banned subjugates in the first place.” Minji’s voice was sharp and cold, with a suppressed hint of disgust and hatred Siyeon had never heard from her. When their eyes met, Minji’s held a mix of profound anger and sorrow, and Siyeon knew she would not enjoy this story at all. “I don’t know the full story about how you two met, and I have no idea how long you were with her. But I do know that it wasn’t voluntary. You were her prisoner, and she was not the kindest host.

“By the Council's estimates, you couldn’t have been there for more than a year but you were a mess when we found you, down in her basement. There were dark bruises on your neck and arms from where she had fed on you. You hadn’t been eating well and you were thin and weak; even after you Turned and fed properly it took days for you to gather your strength. Your wrists were the worst though. She kept you shackled up and manacles chafe badly enough on their own, but it seemed like you struggled against them constantly. Your wrists were rubbed raw and blistered, caked in a mix of dried and fresh blood. Those were the wounds that took the longest to heal, and I don’t think they ever did heal properly all the way.”

Siyeon looked down at her hands, at the thin strip of paler skin that circled each wrist like a porcelain bracelet. She had always thought that they must be the remnant of scars from her human life, but she had never imagined that their origin would be so gruesome. Her hands were shaking as she looked at them and she curled them into fists, the skin over her knuckles pulling taut. She was biting back nausea when Minji’s hand overlapped hers. The older vampire’s expression was concerned when Siyeon looked up.

“I know this is a lot to take in. We can stop for now if you want,” Minji said softly, her voice much kinder now. Siyeon shook her head.

“No, I need to hear it all now. I need answers. I need the truth.” Her voice broke as she spoke and Minji’s heart seemed to break with it, her eyes pained. But she nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing to speak.

“We had gotten word that there was a vampire with a subjugate and we had been investigating the rumor for a few weeks before we finally found you. I wanted to go in immediately once we confirmed that she had a human in captivity, and several other members of the Council agreed with me, but there was protocol to be followed and we couldn’t move in until everything was in order. And once it was, we had to wait another day because of the Blood Moon. If I had known it would be too late then, I would’ve gone in even if I had to do it alone. But there was no way we could have known that you were her match…

“When we finally got the authorization to raid her place, we found you dead. She must have gone in to feed and lost control, and in her panic she must have given you her blood to try and stop you from dying. We figured out later that she had been keeping you alive with small doses of her blood, since vampire blood in small quantities has healing properties for humans. But she nearly drank you dry and she wasn’t thinking straight so she gave you more blood than she should have and ended up Turning you instead of saving you. I suppose she didn’t have much of a choice, without the blood you would have died for good. You had clearly lost a lot of blood and the bite on your neck was… animalistic to be honest. Aside from your wrists, that one took a damn long time to heal too.”

Siyeon’s hand jumped to the spot where the slope of her neck met her right shoulder. They were too small to be felt and could hardly be seen but she knew that there were two hair-thin white lines that marred her otherwise perfect skin. If you didn’t know they were there, you’d probably miss them, but Siyeon had caught sight of them once in the mirror and had always wondered where they’d come from. Now she knew that it was what remained of the night that her sire’s fangs had viciously tore into her skin, ending her life as she knew it. Minji gave her a knowing look, as if she had noticed the scars before and knew their weight. She probably had.

“Did you catch her?” Siyeon managed to ask, her voice weak and flat. Something dark flickered in Minji’s eyes but it was gone so quickly that Siyeon thought she had imagined it. Slowly, Minji shook her head.

“She fled before we arrived. Because she knew we were coming or because she thought she had really killed you, I have no idea. We sent scouts immediately to look for her but our primary focus shifted to you. You were in and out of consciousness for days after we took you in. When you were awake, you were aggressive and hungry, and when you slept it was fitful and full of nightmares. I assume it was the result of trauma from the time you were forced to be a subjugate. For a while, we thought the whole ordeal had made you lose your mind and that we’d have to put you down for everyone’s sake. But then you snapped out of it somehow.

“You were like a frightened, caged animal at first. You’d grown to be afraid of vampires and now you were surrounded by them so naturally you were scared and confused, especially when you realized you were one of us now. You wouldn’t speak to anyone for hours, you didn’t trust anyone. Except me. I still don’t really know why but when they sent me in to try my hand at talking to you, you started to open up. You answered my questions readily, fed when I asked you to, let the medics examine you. You told me about who the vampire who had taken you was, about how she had often sedated you to keep you quiet and there were gaps in your memory because of it. You didn’t know when you’d been taken or how, just that you should have seen it coming.”

“Why would I have seen it coming?” Siyeon demanded. Minji sighed, looking at Siyeon with an unreadable expression.

“You had slept around with her beforehand. When you told me about it, you made it seem like it hadn’t been very serious but I’m not sure how true that was. All you said was that she had gotten weirdly possessive, and you started getting uncomfortable around her so you broke things off. But you’d seen her again too many times for it to be a coincidence and you felt like you were being followed. And then you were abducted. It makes sense, in retrospect, that she would have behaved that way considering what happened on the Blood Moon. That doesn’t excuse the lengths that she took though, or the things that she did to you.”

“What was her name?” Siyeon wasn’t sure why she was asking, really, but she felt she needed to know. Minji seemed caught off guard, but she replied anyway.

“She went by a lot of names but you knew her as Tiffany Hwang.” An image flashed suddenly in Siyeon’s mind, like the ghost of a memory—tousled brown waves, red lips curled into a smile, chocolate brown eyes glinting with mischief. The image was gone almost instantly, but it left behind a horrible feeling. When the world came back into focus, Siyeon realized that Minji was looking at her with concern. “Siyeon, are you alright?”

“I don’t know… I think I remembered her face for a moment, but it’s already fuzzy.” Siyeon’s tongue felt heavy in her mouth as she spoke, and she thought for a moment that she might be sick. But nothing happened and the odd feeling eventually subsided. With a deep breath, Siyeon met Minji’s eyes. “So what happened that I went berserk?”

“You realized the truth of the situation. Once you recovered from your injuries and answered all our questions, you pieced the puzzle together. We didn’t think you’d try anything so we hadn’t expended as many resources on keeping you put, we figured you’d been imprisoned enough already. It was hours before any of us realized you had disappeared, and it didn’t take a genius to figure that you were probably after Tiffany. They already had scouts out looking for her and the Council was certain that they would find her before you did. They underestimated the strength of your bond, but I didn’t.

“You were easier to track than she was. She was an experienced vampire after all and you were less than a month old. I found you just before you confronted her. You were furious that I tried to talk you out of it. You said you needed the closure and that she should face the reality of her actions. But I don’t think you were able to comprehend how out of control you were, or how deep your trauma really ran. When you saw her you just… lost it.”

“W-Was  _ I _ the one who… who killed her?” Siyeon stammered out in a shaky voice. Bile rose in her throat and she bit her tongue until she tasted blood, the pain drowning out the nausea.

“Nearly. You probably would have torn her to shreds if I hadn’t been there to stop you. You dealt plenty of damage as it was. I don’t know if it was guilt or a result of the bond between you, but she didn’t even fight back. She would have let you kill her, but I didn’t want you living with that on your conscience. I stopped you and arrested her and let the Council handle her. She received capital punishment in the end, but at least it wasn’t by your hand.”

Minji paused, as if waiting for Siyeon to speak, but the younger girl was silent. She was staring down at her hands, wondering what exactly she had done to Tiffany but knowing that it was better for her not to know the details. She was still staring at her hands when Minji took them both, giving them a gentle squeeze.

“I know this is a lot to take in. When you woke up later without a memory of what had happened, I thought it was better you didn’t know. But you’re not the same person anymore and I know you’re strong enough to deal with the reality of your past. I just hope you’re not too hard on yourself about what happened tonight because it wasn’t your fault. I wanted you to know the truth of where you came from, but I also want you to know that you’re not your sire. You’re not Tiffany and you never could be.”

“You’re right, you raised me better than that.” Siyeon’s voice was shaky and the joke sounded lame even to her own ears, but Minji’s smile made her feel better.

“Listen, I thought I was protecting you by not telling you all the details about your Turning but if you had known maybe we could have avoided this whole situation. I don’t want you to make the same mistake with Yoohyeon. She’s gonna wake up confused and lost too, and she’s going to need your guidance. Of course, I’ll be here for both of you and so will the others, but at the end of the day you two have a connection that none of us can ever be a part of. You’ve got to learn to take care of each other.”

“What if she hates me the way I hated Tiffany?” Minji frowned at this. Siyeon sounded small, almost broken and she didn’t like it.

“You saved her life. And she asked to be Turned. It may not have been fully voluntary on either of your parts, but I’m sure she’ll understand that once we explain it. I don’t think she’ll hate you.” Minji looked up suddenly, as if she had just remembered something. “It’s nearly dawn. You should head back to your room, you should be with her when she wakes.”

“Minji, I don’t know anything about being a sire.” Siyeon’s voice trembled. She sounded like a frightened kid. Minji gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hands again.

“You don’t have to do any of this alone, okay? You’re both my responsibility too, I’ll help you both.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

***

Siyeon was seated on her bed beside Yoohyeon with her knees drawn up to her chest when the sun finally peaked above the horizon. She was staring blankly at her wall, trying not to think and thinking far too much all at once. She wouldn’t have even noticed that it was officially morning if it hadn’t been for the twitch of Yoohyeon’s fingers catching her attention. Siyeon’s head immediately snapped to the side to look over at Yoohyeon, just as the brunette’s body tensed, a strangled groan leaving her lips.

In a flash, Siyeon was on her feet beside the bed on Yoohyeon’s side, grasping the girl’s shoulder and rolling her over so that she was leaning over the edge of the bed. Siyeon simultaneously lifted the bucket that had been left on the floor beside the bed with one hand and pulled Yoohyeon’s hair back with the other hand, and not a moment too soon. With a pained grunt, Yoohyeon retched, black-ish liquid pouring from her mouth and into the waiting bucket. Siyeon scrunched up her nose in distaste but otherwise kept still, flicking her eyes up to the ceiling to offer Yoohyeon the smallest bit of privacy. It took a few moments before the retching sounds subsided and panting was left in its wake. Siyeon was expecting a barrage of questions but the silence drew her attention and she finally lowered her eyes from the ceiling. Yoohyeon was staring down into the bucket, her hands fisted in the sheets.

“Yoohyeon?” Siyeon said carefully. “Do you remember what happened?”

Instead of answering, there was more silence. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The only sound was Yoohyeon’s shallow breathing, a reflex she probably hadn’t noticed she no longer needed

“Yoohyeon?” Siyeon tried again.

“What is that?” Yoohyeon finally spoke up, her voice muffled and her words unclear. She was still staring down at the bucket and Siyeon cocked her head in confusion.

“What you threw up? It’s my blood.” Another stretch of silence followed.

“Am I dead?” Yoohyeon finally looked up, her eyes a dull red. Her fangs were out, which explained why she was having so much trouble speaking clearly. Dark blood was smeared around her mouth and chin, and there was fresh blood trickling down her bottom lip from where she’d accidentally tore her skin with her incisors.

“Technically, you’re undead,” Siyeon replied softly, setting the bucket down and releasing Yoohyeon’s hair.

“How can you joke right now? Is this funny to you?” Yoohyeon’s previously empty voice was now overflowing with anger. Her eyes flared up like embers as she got to her feet, her body jerking with random bursts of uncoordinated speed. With sloppy movements, she towered over Siyeon and fisted her hands in the older girl’s shirt, slamming her back into the nearest wall with enough force that it would have splintered if the whole house wasn’t reinforced to bear such impacts. Siyeon winced at the spike of pain that shot through her, but she remained pliant in Yoohyeon’s grasp.

“I’m not trying to joke around. Believe me, this isn’t fun for me either.”

“You’re the one who did this to me,” Yoohyeon spat between her teeth. Siyeon arched her brow but otherwise kept her expression neutral.

“You asked me to,” Siyeon pointed out calmly. The amount of self-control she was exhibiting was surprising even to herself, but she found that she had no energy to meet Yoohyeon’s fire with more fire, especially when the brunette’s features morphed from anger to confusion. Yoohyeon stumbled back a few steps, releasing Siyeon in favor of cradling her own head as if she were in pain.

“Y-You’re right. What the hell was I thinking?” Suddenly, tears slid down Yoohyeon’s cheeks and fear filled her eyes when she looked back up at Siyeon. “You… You killed three people. You’re a monster and you made me just like you.”

Siyeon ignored the uncomfortable pang in her chest that blossomed at the word “monster” and tried her best to keep her voice even and calm as she spoke. “Yoohyeon, I know you’re frightened and confused, and your emotions are going a million miles a minute. I’ll explain everything soon, but I need you to calm down first—”

“Calm down?! Are you insane? How can you ask me to calm down right now?” But Siyeon didn’t get a chance to answer right away because Yoohyeon’s voice died out, her body swaying unsteadily before her knees buckled. She would have crumpled to the ground if Siyeon hadn’t lurched forward to catch her. Yoohyeon’s expression was dazed and she struggled to focus her gaze on the blonde’s face. “Wha… What the hell was that?” she asked breathlessly.

“You need to feed, Yoohyeon, that’s what I was trying to tell you. You’re running on empty right now.”

“ But I don’t want to hurt anyone.” There was something so unbearably sad about the way Yoohyeon spoke through a whimper. It was clear in the dull flicker of red in her eyes that she was indeed very hungry, but she looked afraid more than anything and it was heartbreaking to think that she wasn’t just afraid of Siyeon anymore—she was afraid of herself.

With an uncharacteristic amount of tenderness, Siyeon reached up to tuck a strand of Yoohyeon’s hair behind her ear, offering the most reassuring smile she could manage. “Don’t worry. There are blood bags in the fridge, you won’t hurt anyone. You won’t have to be around people until you feel comfortable with it.”

“How am I supposed to trust you?”

“You’re my responsibility now, remember? Whether you trust me or not, I’m going to take care of you.” For some reason, this seemed to be the perfect thing to say to ease Yoohyeon’s mind. A small smile tugged at her lips as she dropped her head onto Siyeon’s shoulder and let her eyes flutter shut, relaxing for the first time.

“Okay, good,” she mumbled quietly. “Can you please take me to the food now? I feel like jelly.”

Siyeon scoffed but obliged, lifting the tired fledgling in her arms and taking her down to the kitchen, all the while mentally preparing herself for the complicated conversation that was to follow.


End file.
